A Missile Hit Their Building, but Their Home Was Untouched: A Chabad Family’s Miracle

“We saw with our own eyes how the Holy One, blessed be He, poured His wrath out on wood and stone. We merited divine protection,” says Rabbi Moshe Weber, who together with his wife Shoshi serves as a Chabad emissary in the city of Dnipro, Ukraine. His words refer to the miracle that occurred this past Shabbat, when a Russian missile struck their building directly — yet, by an open miracle, their apartment suffered no damage at all.

Twenty-Seven Years of Shlichut

“We’ve been here for 27 years,” Rabbi Weber explains. “When the war broke out, we left for a short period, but not in order to flee. At that very time we were marrying off our son in Israel, so we had to travel anyway. We stayed a bit longer — and since then, thank God, we’ve merited to marry off two more children.”

Since returning to Dnipro, the Webers have continued their mission with even greater intensity. They care for the local Jewish community while also running the Kollel Torah organization, which brings together some 5,000 male and female students from across the former Soviet Union. These students receive structured Torah study programs, stipends, and various educational activities.

“This project allows all the students to learn in an orderly and unified framework, something they were denied for many years under the Communist regime,” Rabbi Weber explains.

What is daily life like for residents during the war?

“Our mission continues almost as usual,” says Rabbi Weber, “because most Jews in the community simply cannot leave the country — especially men aged 20–60, who are subject to conscription. Members of the Jewish community are afraid to enlist, both because of the lack of spiritual conditions in the army and because of the real danger involved, and therefore they cannot cross the border.”

As a result, many Jewish families rely heavily on the community’s activities — attending synagogue, sending their children to Jewish institutions, joining meals in the Weber home, and more.

“The atmosphere is not simple,” Rabbi Weber emphasizes. “There are sirens all day from morning to night, and night to morning. Unlike in Israel, where sirens are area-specific, in Ukraine there is no precise regional distinction. Every time a missile is launched, sirens sound across the entire country.”

“We don’t have a reinforced safe room or proper shelters,” he adds, “but when the situation is serious, we usually receive internal warnings, and then we try to go down to the parking level and remain there.”

“Life continues outwardly, but there is no real routine. Sirens can catch you anywhere. Many businesses are closed, and even those that are open can shut down instantly once an alarm sounds. You might go to the bank or the supermarket, and before you’re helped, the siren goes off — and suddenly all plans are disrupted. It’s impossible to truly live a normal life.”

Are you afraid?

“No,” Rabbi Weber answers. “We’ve gotten used to it. There’s also a certain skepticism — Ukraine is huge, and you don’t really believe it will reach you. But when it reaches your home and hits your building directly, that’s different. That’s very hard.”

What happened this past Shabbat? Did you expect an attack on your area?

“We returned to Dnipro last Monday after being in Poland, where we organized a summer camp for 25 daughters of Chabad emissaries from across Ukraine. When we got home, neighbors told us that things had been calm lately and that our area had been quiet — unlike nearby Kyiv and Kharkiv, where explosions are heard constantly.”

“We prepared for Shabbat as usual and even invited guests. During the night, things were very tense. Until about 3:30 a.m., there were nonstop explosions. At a certain point, we decided to evacuate and go down to the parking level, in complete darkness, with the echoes of explosions all around. You realize then that this time it’s serious and close.”

“It was frightening,” he continues, “but it never crossed our minds that the missile would hit our building. We live in a residential area — there are no military headquarters or strategic targets here. Since the war began, not a single missile had fallen in our area. There was no reason to fear such a scenario.”

“But then, after we were already outside, there was a massive boom that shook the entire building. And this one came without any siren. That meant that many residents who had evacuated earlier during the alarms had already returned to their apartments — and they were hit.”

“Tragically, two people were killed and dozens were injured. We know the people, and our hearts ache for them. But the great miracle is that nothing happened to our apartment. The apartment above us was completely destroyed, as was the one below us. The entire building was damaged; water and electricity systems were ruined in many apartments — but in ours, there wasn’t even a scratch.”

“While other residents were evacuated to alternative housing, the police inspected our apartment and told us we could return. There was simly no damage.”

How can this be explained?

“I truly don’t know,” Rabbi Weber says. “It’s a miracle with no natural explanation. We stood downstairs with our children, all of us in pajamas, watching the fire burning at the top of our building, unable to process what had happened.”

“We felt clear heavenly protection. Of course, we then went to our synagogue for Shacharit to recite Birkat HaGomel. After that, we returned home as usual — with guests who joined us for the Shabbat meal.”

Rabbi Weber adds that the incident also resulted in a significant Kiddush Hashem. Ukrainian media arrived on the scene and asked to interview them.

“We explained that it was Shabbat and we couldn’t be interviewed, and you could see how fascinated they were. In general, we constantly meet people outside the Jewish community, and they all say to us: ‘The fact that you stay here and don’t leave strengthens all of us. If you’re here, we feel safer.’”

After such an event, doesn’t the thought of leaving cross your mind?

“Absolutely not,” Rabbi Weber answers firmly. “We see miracles around us all the time, and we understand that it is the mission itself that protects and guards us. More than that — the terrifying experience we went through this Shabbat only strengthened us.”

“We intend to remain here until the coming of Mashiach, to spread the light of Judaism and, with God’s help, to care for the Jews of this place to the best of our ability.”